Shock-absorber.



0. WILSON. B11003 momma.

APPLIOATIOI FILED OUT. 8. 1909.

97,285. 111mm Aug. 16,1910.

CHRISTIAN WILSON, 0F BBOOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOCK-ABSORBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 16, 1910.

Application filed October 6, 1809. serial No. 521,268.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cmus'rran WILsoN, a subject of the King of Denmark residing at Brookline, in the county of liorfolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shock-Absorbers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to shock-absorbers for use on motor vehicles, according to the common practice, and it is the special object of my invention to provide a hydraulic shock-absorber with means to vary the resistance which may be opposed to the movement of its principal parts, in order that each shock-absorber may be readily adjustable to varying conditions of load, road, and tension of s FIRES.

I have rt er sought to rovide a shock-absorber with means where y adjustability ma be effected in relation to the resistanoe o ered to the movement of its principal movin part in either direction, the means of a justment to effect varyin resistance to the movement up and down eing independent of each other.

It is also an object of m invention to provide means for accuratey determining the recise state of ad'ustment.

y invention may e best understood by reference to the drawin in which- Fi re 1 shows a side elevation of the shock-absorber with part of the cylinder casing cut away so as to display the piston therein. Fi 2 shows a vertical cross-section of Fig. viewed at a. right angle thereto. Fig. 3 is a top view of t 0 device. Fi 4 is a cross-section of the device as it won d ap car if cut away on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, loo (in downward. Fig. 5 represents the parts s iown in Fig. 4 in a different ad'ustment. Fig. 6 is a cross-section view 0 the device as it would ap ar cut away on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2, 100 ing upward. Fig. 7 represents the parts shown in Fig. 6 in a di erent adjustment.

Referring now more specifically to the drawin is a cylinder which has a cap a in whic is a hole a throu h which glycerin or some like material may e in ipcted. The hole is closed by the screw a. he cap a (is provided with a cavity a, which is threadrtl to receive the sleeve-nut a which forms-vv stufiin -box. The' bottom of the cylinder i closed y the cap a which is provided wit.

brackets a, a between which is loosely mounted a link a by means of the bolt (1 and nut a". By means of this link (1 the device may be attached to the bottom of the spring of the motor car or elsewhere in any well mown manner.

B is a iston which is provided with a crown b which forms a cage, as shown. This crown b is attached to the piston by means of the screws 1) and is screwed upon the end of the hollow piston rod C and securely fastened thereto by the screw 1). Upon the threaded rtion 0 of the piston C are two nuts E 1 which grip the bracket F by which the device is attached to the frame of the motor car. A crown G is also screwed upon the top of the hollow piston rod 0 and securely fastened thereto by means of the screw H is a hollow sleeve loosely mounted within the piston rod 0 which has a threaded cavit I at its to forming a. stufiing-box in which is screwed the sleeve nut i. The sleeve H is provided at its top with a thumb piece h WlllCll is shown to be in two parts which are securely fastened to the hollow sleeve H by means of the screws h and h. The thumb piece It bears an index finger h which is curved at its lower end to enter the roove g in the to portion of the crown which is provide with an index scale g. Within the cage formed by the iston-crown b is a valve-closing means 72. w ich is faced with a leather part h. This valve-closing means 1:. is loosely mounted upon the end of the hollow sleeve H, which bears u on the piston B, so that it may rise and fall within the cage formed by the crown 6, being aided by the in h" which slides within tic groove h. ccause of the pin it, however, the valve-means h will turn u on the rotation of the hollow sleeve I This va.lvemeans h is provided with extensions It upon the periphery thereof which are adapted to be moved across the series of sum 1 openings 11 in the piston B, while the central portion of the valve-means h normally covers the four large openin s b in the piston 13. A stop-pin h carrie b the crown b provides a positive check to limit the movement of the valve-means k upon its rotation.

J is a rod loosely mounted within the ho]- low sleeve H which hours at its to a thumb piece 3' which is firmly fixed t iereto by means of a pin j.

The thumb piece y has a smooth portion 7' with which an index finor y, attached to the crown G by means of the screws 9, g, is in firm frictional contact. On the top of the thumb piece j is an index j upon w iich the amount of rotation of the rod .J may be noted. Fastened to the bottom of the rod J by means of the pm is is a disk j which is provided with ho es 7' which are adapted to register with the holes I) in the piston B. The disk j is of such restricted diameter that it does not cover either series of small holes I).

The 0 )eration of my device is as follows 2- 1e cylinder having been filled with glycerin or any similar oi y fluid it is a parent that when the springs of the vehic e are depressed the piston red C will be thrust downward thus depressing the piston D and cause the valve-means h to rise and allow the fluid freel to escape upwardly throu '11 four large ho es 1) in the piston B if he plate has been so adjusted, b moving the thumb piece j, that the index finger g rests at the extreme left of the smooth portion 7", thus adjusting the )latc j so that its four holes register with the holes I) as in Fig. 6. if this is the case there will be little resistance to the downward movement of the piston 13, but if it is desired to increase the downward resistance to the movement of the piston B, in order that the springs of the motor vehicle may be less easil depressed, then the thumb piece j, whici was previously so placed that the index finger Y rested at the extreme left side of the smoot 1 space 7', may be rotatedto the right thus turnin the late 7" in a manner whereby the ho es 7'" t erein are brought out of register with the holes Z) so that the holes b are partially closed by the late 7" as in Fig. 7. The smooth portion of the thumb piece may be made of such size that the thumb piece j may be turned till the index finger g rests upon the right side of the smooth space 7'' without completely closing the holes I).

The regulation of resistance to the upward movement of the piston B, upon the recoil of the springs, is effected by the covering of a reater or less number of the small holes I) which are always open upon the downward movement of the piston B, because the means for covering them, which is a part of the periphery of the valve-means h, is always elevated by pressure of the fluid u on the downward movement of the iston This closing of the small holes b is eil'ected by turning the valve-means h by the rotation of the hollow sleeve H by means of the thumb piece h so that the re ection It upon the periphery of the va ve-means It will move across the holes I) to close a greater or less number of them according to the amount of turning which may be determined by reference to the position of the index finger It upon the index scale g The stop-pin It by contacting with the )rojections h" upon the valve-means It will form a positive check to limit the movement opening or closing the series of small holes I) which may be seen completely closed in Fig. 4 and entirely unobstructed in Fig. 5.

Havin r thus fully described my invention, what 1 c aim is 1. In a shock-absorber of the character specified the combination of a cylinder, a

iston in said cylinder, a piston-rod, ports in said piston, a plurality of port controlling means and means for the manual adjustment of each of said port controlling means whereby each of said port controlling means may be manually adjusted independently of other port controllin means in a manner wherebv resistance to the movement of said iston in one direction may be varied wit iout etl'ecting resistance to movement of said piston in the other direction.

2. In a shock-absorber of the character specified a cylinder and a piston, a port in said piston, a hollow piston rod, a rotatable member loosely mounted within said hollow piston rod, means for operating said rotatable member, an automatic valve closing means loosely mounted on said rotatable member and adapted to be rotated thereby in a manner whereby it may be moved to or from operative relation with said port.

3. In a slnmk-absorber of the character Specified a cylinder and a piston, a hollow piston rod, a multiplicity of ports in said iston a rotatable member loosely mounted in said hollow iston rod, means for o erating said rotata )le member, a valve c osing means loosely mounted on said rotatable member and adapted to be rotated thereby, said valve closing means having projections upon its periphery which projections are a apted upon the rotation of said valve closing means to be moved to or from an operative relation with said ports.

4. In a shock-absorber of the character specified a cylinder and a piston, a hollow piston rod, ports in said piston, a pluralit of rotatable members within said piston ro means on said rotatable members for controlling said ports and means .for the independent manual adjustment of said rotatable members in a manner whereby resistance to the movement of said piston in one direction may be varied without eti'ectin resistance to movement of said piston in the other direction.

5. In a shock-absorber of the character specified a cylinder and a piston, a hollow piston rod, a rotatable member loosely mounted within said hollow piston rod, 1 cans whereby said rotatable member may 0 rotated, a valve-means loosely mounted n said rotatable member and adapted to be 'otated thereby, a port so placed in said pisllit) ton that upon a movement thereof in one direction said port must be closed by said valve closing means, another port in said piston so placed that upon the rotation of said rotatable member said valve closing means may be moved to or from an operative Jositiou relative to said ort.

(3. 5n a shock-absorber o the character specified, a cylinder and piston therein, a hollow iston rod, a hollow rotatable member wit iin said hollow piston rod, a rotatable member within said hollow rotatable member, means for rotating said rotatable members, a valve closing means loosely mounted on said hollow rotatable member and adapted to be rotated thereby, a port in said piston which must be closed by any movement of said piston toward said valve closing means, another port adapted to be contro led by a like movement of said valve closing means only when said valve closing means is in no er adjustment in relation thereto, a dislt fiist on said rotatable member within said hollow rotatable member which disk is provided with a hole adapted to register with said port in said piston which must be closed by any movement of said piston toward said valve closing means, said disk being ada ted to control said port upon the rotation t ereof.

7. In a shock-absorber of the character specified a cylinder and a piston therein, a hollow piston rod, a hollow rotatable member within said hollow iston rod, a rotatable member within said hollow rotatable member, means for rotating said rotatable members, a valve controlling means loosely mounted on said hollow rotatable member and provided with a projection upon its peri hery, said valve controlling means being a apted to be rotated by said hollow rotatable member, a port in said piston which must be closed b any movement of said piston toward sai valve controlling means, another port in said piston situated near the periphery thereof and adapted to be controlled by said projection on said valve controlling means upon a like movement of said piston only when said valve controlling means is in proper adjustment in relation thereto, a disk fast on said rotatable member within said hollow rotatable member which disk is provided with a hole adapted to register with said port in said piston which,

must be closed by any movement of said piston toward said va ve closing means, said disk being adapted to control said port upon the rotation thereof.

8. In a shock-absorber of the character specified a cylinder and piston means, ports in said piston, a valve closin means, means ada ted to move said valve closing means to or rom an operative position in relation to said ports an( a stop means adapted to contact with said valve closin means at diil'erent points thereon to indicate when said valve closing means is wholly in or wholly out of operative position in respect to said ports.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHRISTIAN WILSON. \Vitnesses:

DANroarn W. Comma, Ham-1N A. AMns. 

